Demand for Data Increases in Myanmar leads to Expansion in 3G & 4G Network

Ken Research announced the recent production on “Myanmar: 4G Investment and new market entrants to boost burgeoning telecoms market,” which offers insights on overview of the telecommunications market in Myanmar, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. The production provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband, and mobile, as well as a review of key regulatory trends. Moreover, the report offers the shrewd investigation of the economic, demographic and political aspects in Myanmar along with it a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, number portability and more. In addition, the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in Myanmar’s telecommunications markets are discussed.

Competition on the rise

Myanmar’s telecoms market remains relatively young; the novel incumbent nonetheless faces an increasingly competitive environment, with the two international service providers still striving to close the gap. The state-owned entity’s subscriber base has remained largely static since mid-2015, when it counted around 18m subscribers. Telenor, however, looks to be gaining ground, having added 1.9m customers to its base in the last three months of 2015. This brings its total to almost 14m, up from 3.4m at year-end 2014.

Mobile penetration reached 63% in early 2016, up from 54.6% in late March 2015, but still well below the levels found in many other markets in the region.

For their part, existing mobile operators have expressed fears that a new player could be given some competitive advantages, such as lower licence fees or more relaxed terms for the rollout of services – which could grant the new entrant a bigger slice of the more lucrative urban market.

Potential for growth

All the while, operators continued to invest in their networks in a bid to enhance coverage and services, with enhancements to data, in specific, being given priority.

In March, Ooredoo announced plans to spend $350m in 2016 on elevating download speeds and network reach, having channelled a similar level of capital into improving its operations last year. The eventual launch of 4G services should stimulate further expansion, with increased take-up of smartphones playing a pivotal role in heightening demand.

The major move, the government pledged in November to release the necessary spectrum once service providers are ready to launch their next-generation networks. This was followed by an announcement in February that the MCIT plans to hold auctions for additional spectrum to accommodate greater data usage.

To know more on the coverage, tap on the link underneath: https://www.kenresearch.com/technology-and- telecom/telecommunications-and-networking/myanmar-4g- investment-new- market-entrants- boost/78616-105.html